A bid by Indonesia's first directly elected president to be closer to his people by publicising his mobile phone number backfired over the weekend, after thousands of calls crashed the line.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced the number on Saturday and said anyone could call or send text messages if they wanted to complain about government services.

By Monday, Indonesian newspapers were carrying stories of people complaining they couldn't get through. Local media reported more than 3,000 calls had been made to the number.

"The number is now clogged and cannot be used anymore. The president said there should be five more numbers, but we need to install a new computerised system first," said presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng.

It was not clear if Yudhoyono had answered any of the calls himself.

The former army general became Indonesia's first directly elected president last year, and has worked hard to build an image of being close to the masses.

"He was chosen by the people so it's natural for the people to have access to the president," said Mallarangeng, who was previously a popular political TV commentator.

A survey in March showed 92 percent of Indonesians had a favorable impression of Yudhoyono, and 57 percent were satisfied with his administration.